SOUTH KOREA Sado mine was included in UNESCO’s world heritage

The verdict of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) was announced today in New Delhi. The proposal had sparked a heated debate between Japan and South Korea, following Seoul’s accusation of underestimating modern history: Sado is the symbol of forced labor of Koreans in the period after the Edo period (1603-1868).

Rome (/Agencies) – The long-running controversy over the inclusion of the former Sado mine on UNESCO’s World Heritage List – which Seoul sees as a symbol of the forced labour imposed on thousands of Koreans during Tokyo’s colonial rule over South Korea between 1910 and 1945 – was resolved today with the verdict issued by the United Nations agency. The Sado gold and silver mine complex was added to the World Heritage List thanks to a last-minute agreement between Japan and South Korea. Seoul’s accusation is due to Tokyo’s attempt to omit the part of history that refers to forced labour, limiting itself in the report initially submitted to references to the Edo period (1603-1868) and excluding modern history and the atrocities committed during the war.

The decision to list the Sado mine was made today in New Delhi, India, during a meeting of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (WHC), made up of representatives from 21 member states, which was to consider 29 new proposals. There was a possibility of a further postponement, but South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday that the country was reaching a consensus with Japan on the issue. A ministry official said Japan would reflect the “complete history” of the site once it is registered, but gave no further details.

During the decision-making stage, UNESCO’s advisory body had encouraged Japan to explain the entire history of the mines, without omitting the atrocities. Instead, the Japanese government had mainly highlighted the Edo period, when gold was produced on a large scale. In fact, the Sado mining complex was one of the largest gold producers in the world in the 17th century and is known for its advanced pre- and post-industrialization technology. Both Japan and South Korea are part of this year’s rotation committee. Japan wanted a unanimous vote to register the complex as a world heritage site and today it got that verdict.

The Japanese Council for Cultural Affairs had selected the Sado mine complex as a candidate in December 2021, with the aim of obtaining UNESCO registration in 2023. However, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, likely in consideration of relations between Japan and South Korea, was initially vague about whether it would submit a nomination for the mine. The UNESCO Committee’s decision to inscribe the Sado mine on the World Heritage List comes against a backdrop of diplomatic tensions between Japan and South Korea related to the Japanese colonial period and forced labor imposed on Koreans during World War II.

The consensus reached between the two countries appears to be a step towards reconciliation, but it remains to be seen how the full story of the mine will be presented in future Japanese exhibits. Above all, there are many expectations about how Japan will deal with the issue of forced labour. It is estimated that more than 2,000 Koreans were forcibly mobilised to work in difficult conditions in the mine, which consists of a 400-kilometre-long tunnel, almost the distance between Tokyo and Sado.